Caster



W. F. HEROLD May 13, 1930.

CASTER Filed July 9, 1927 INVENTOR. HALTER F HEEDLD ATToRA/Ex ica# new .inasninnssmnoa ro urna BAssrcn ooarramr, or enmarcar, oonnnorronr, n oonorion or coimnorrcor SASTRE,

' Application led 3111379, 1927. .Serial No. 204,493.

The present invention relates to improvements incasters, particularlyof the type adapted for use with hollowmetal posts of bedsteads, or the like, and in which the intle carrying caster elementis adapted to einserted in an openl socket frame having an apertured bottom bearing 1oase and a top bearing, either lateral or axial thrust.

lt is particularly proposed to provide anv improved pintle construction cooperating 'with the frame so that upon insertion of the pintle` it will be positively guided'into its proper relation ywith the top bearing, and to this' end the present embodiment of the' in- 5a vention consists in providing 'a intle adaptedto be retained in the frame y means cooperating between the frame and pintle, and in such relation to the pintle and top bearing that it will not become edective until the pintle is in properly engaged or aligned relation with the top bearing. Heretofor'e such retaining means took e'tect before engagenient or alignment with the pintle or its top bearing, with the result that veryoften the weight of the furniture Was let down as soon as the'pintle was retained, but before 1t was properly aligned or in engagement with. its top bearing, so that it would very o ften )am in the frame before.' it could be gulded. into relation with the top bearing, necessitating lifting the furniture and rei'nserting the pintle, and very often damaging the frame structure, yso that it hadto be replaced.

With the' above and other objects in view, embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, and these embodiments will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the 1nvention will be inally pointed out in the clalms.

ln the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a caster and spring tra-me according to one embodiment.

of the invention.

lig.l 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, inserted in a furnitureleg andwith the pintleot the casterpartially 1nserted, that is, inserted. to the pointwhere .lts upper end is inengagement with the top bearing, but the pintle retaining means has not as yet become eHective.

' Fig. 3 is asimilar view showing the caster fully inserted., L A

Fig. 4 is a. vertical sectional view of a modified form of the invention in which the top bearing is in the form of a center thrust bearing, and showing the pintle in partially inserted relationB Fig.4 5 is a similar view and showing the pintle in fully inserted relation.

- Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several iguresof the drawings.

-Referring to the drawings, the caster, according to the embodiment of the invention, disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3, comprises a spring frame and leg mount unit adapted for insertion'in a tubular furniture leg, and a pintle caster unit adapted for insertion and removal" 13 and an upwardly bent rim 14, thelatter4 adapted to abut and engagebeneath the end of the furniture leg. vThe pintle retaining split spring ring 15, lpreferably of the type .disclosed in my vco-pending application Serial No. 120,670, iled July 6, 1926, is mounted at the upper. edge of the flange 12 and re-v tained in a centrally apertured cup member 16 secured to the base plate by means oi lugs 17 engaged through diametrically v o posed slots 18 in the plate, and bent over on he under surface, the aperture of the cup member being of the sarne diameter as the aperture 11 of the base plate, and with it constituting v. a relatively long journal bearing for'the pintie, which in addition to its better bearing'- surface, is of greatly increased strength. The diameter of the ring is such that its inner edge normally projects`v within the pintle bearing opening and is adapted to frictionally grip uponvthe surface of the pintle to yieldably retain it, being freely rotatable vvithin the cup member during svvivelling action of the caster.

The spring frame member 19, of inverted U-shape, is formed from fiat sheet metal and is provided' at its upper transverse' portion with a dome'shaped pintle guide portion 20,

, pressed upwardly therein and provided with a central fianged aperture 21 which, in the connected relationofthe frame to the leg mount base, is alig'nedxwith the central aperture of said baseand is adapted to be engaged by theupper end ofthe caster pintle.

The portion 20, in addition to providing a 4 pintle guide surface, reinforces the top of the frame so that itis inherently rigid. The lovver edges of the side legs of the spring frame are connected to the base plate in such manner as to permit inward and outward contraction and expansion of the side legs, and for this purpose I have shown the side legs of the present embodiment provided with down- Wardly projecting locking-extensions 22 engaged in diametrlcally opposite openings or Y slots 23 provided inthe base plate and bent inwardly on the under` surface of the base plate.

The caster Wheel unit consists of the usual horn 24 having a Wheel 25 carried therein upon" an axle 26, and having a pintle 27 secured in its upper transverse portion. The

1 intleisprovided at its base, adjacent' the 4 orn, with a ilange28 having a flleted shoullider 29fat its upper edge, which provides a combination 'thrust 4and journal'bearing having contact with the turned` edge of the flange 12. Thepintleisfurthermore tapered intermediate its ends, as at 3.0,I so'that its upper `end is of reduced diameter to vfacilitate insertion through the retaining ring 15; which Vin its normali contracted relation 1s voflarger and the bearing aperture ofthe cup vmember 116, with respect to the pintle, is such that the latter may be insertedat an angle to its normalvertical position. The domed guide .portion 20, however, engages and confines the upper end of the pintle so that it-is guided into the central aperture 21, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, thereby facilitating'the manual insertion of the pintle. The particular feature of the .present in ventionconsists in the construction of the 1 pintle, and its relation to the retaining means,

i. e. the spring ring 15 and Athe upper bearing aperture 21, its purpose being to insure the manual insertion of the upper end of the pintle inA the aperture 21 before the ring grips upon the. enlarged diameter base portion of the pintle, and to this end, the reduced por- The lower portionyof the pintle,4

weaooi tion of the pintle is ofsuchv length that it will still be in relation to the spring ring when the upper end of the pintle is engaged in the aperture 21, and at this point the pintle may b e fullyinserted, thereby bringing the enlarged diameter base portion of the pintle into relation with the retaining ring which retains the pintle against dropping out, as clearly shovvn in Fig. 3. In constructions heretofore 1n use,'where the retaining meansbecame adective Abefore engagement of the pintle with its top bearing, the person inserting the caster would very. often let the weight of the furniture down as soon as the. lpintle was retained, with the. result that the pintle would vary often jam against the top of the spring .frame or socket before the pintle could engage its top bearing. The present construction, .on the other hand, practically compels full insertion of the pintle in proper relation to its top bearing before the furniture Acan be letdowminasmuch 4asthe pintle will be unretained and will drop out unless the same is irst engaged with the top bearing.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated a modiied form .of socket frame in which the pintle has axial thrust bearing at its upper end with an inverted conesha-ped bearing 31 formed in the upper end of the frame, the upper end p ofthe 'pintle' being indented, as at 32, for this v purpose. A dome shaped guide portion 33I surrounds the bearing 31, extending slightly below the level of its lower end, and is adapted to guide the pintleinto engagement therewith. According to the invention, the r'educed diameter portion of the pintle is of s uch length that the upper end of the pintle enters the guide'portion 33v before engagement of the enlarged diameter portion-with the retaining ring 15, as shown in Fig. 4,"

thereby insuring proper engagement with the bearing 33 upon full insertion of the pin-l tle, as shown in Fig. 5. y

While I have shown. the top beari'g portion for the pintle, in Figs. 1 to 3, asconsist'- ing of the iianged aperture 21 and its guide portion20, and the top bearing portion7 in Figs. 4 and 5, as consisting of the inverted cone shaped bearing 31and its guide portion 33, it will be understood that the invention contemplates, with respectfto the top bearing portion, any other type of top bearing, either with or Without an associated guide portion, vvhere a non-pintle-confining space ex .istsbetvveen the top bearing portion and the I have illustrated and described a preferred tion, but'it Will be obvious that changes may be made therein, Within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: p l

1. In a'caster, a furniture leg engaging eleand satisfactory embodiment of the inven- Vlill ment including a top bearing portion, a lat-A erally extending pintle guide portion extend ing below 4'said top bearing portion, and an apertured bearing base, aremovable easter element including a pintle adapted to be engaged through said aperture oi the base and vto be engaged with said pintle guide pon tion, a pintle retaining splitspring ring ear-1 ried by said leg engaging element adaptedto grpi said pintle to retain it, a portion of said pintle being .of smaller diameterthroughout its length than the opening of sadring and adapted to pass freely therethrough, another port-ion of said pintle being of larger diam'- et'erthan the opening of said ring and adapted to be gripped thereby, said smaller diameter portion being of such length that said ring is ineieetive until said pintle is in engaged relation with said top bearing portion...

2. ln a easter, a furniture leg engaging elenient including a top bearing portion and an apertured'bearing base, a removable caster element inoludingfa pintle adapted to be engaged `through said aperture of the base and to be engaged with said top bearing portion, a pintle retaining Vsplit spring ring car- 'ried by said base, said pintlehaving an enlarged diameter portion in proximity to its base and adapted to be gripped by said ringto he retained thereby and a'small diameter ,cylindrical portion of smaller diameter throughout its length than the opening of said ring and adapted to pass freely through said ring and said smaller diameter portion being of such length said ring is inedective until the pintle is in engaged relation with said top bearing portion.

Signed at Bridgeport, countyof Fairfield,-

and vState of Connecticut, this 28th day of June, 1927. D v f WALTER F. HEROLD. 

